Credit Policy Management Case Luvly Jubbly Inc., is a wholesaler of merchandise with a British flavour. The merchandise is distributed to Canadian...

Credit Policy Management Case

Luvly Jubbly Inc., is a wholesaler of merchandise with a British flavour. The merchandise is distributed to Canadian retailers in all provinces. Due to the rise in popularity in Canada of British television shows such as Downton Abbey and Sherlock, the company’s sales have grown by an average of 15% per year over the last five years. The company’s sales are expected to grow by a more modest 10% next year, with all costs and expenses growing proportionately with sales.

The company was started 10 years ago by Camilla and Phillip Samuelson, who migrated from Sweden to Canada 15 years ago. Both the Samuelsons and their three daughters are huge fans of all things British (“It started with the Beatles!” said Phillip.) Before they started the company, they were avid collectors of British memorabilia, particular those for the long-running British soap, East Enders. After one particularly unsettling bout of disagreement with a British online retailer of British memorabilia (concerning a misprint on a mug that said “West Enders rule!”), Camilla and Phillip decided to marry their business acumen with their love of British memorabilia and started their company as a labour of love. With the profits from the business, they were able to put all three daughters through university. One of their daughters, Margaret, is now working for them in the role of office manager. Margaret is responsible for sending out invoices and bills, checking on when these invoices and bills come due, and calling customers if bills are still unpaid 60 days after sale.

Even with the recent growth in sales, the Samuelsons have noticed a steady decline in their quarterly net profit in the last two years. They have an idea that this may be due to their current policy of giving trade credits. When they first started 10 years ago, in order to attract customers to their new business, they had set their credit policy to net 50, which was more generous than the wholesale industry average of net 30. Since then, the company has built up a steady customer base, but has retained the net 50 credit policy as Camilla and Phillip felt that they should reward their customers for their loyalty. Unfortunately, the rising popularity of British shows and their associated memorabilia in Canada has enticed more companies into the business, including mega-companies such as Walmart.

In the midst of this increased competition, a severe financial crisis hit the world market two years ago, forcing some of Luvly Jubbly’s customers into reducing their orders and a few into bankruptcy. As a result, bad debt increased to about 2% during the last two years. The upcoming year is the first year that bad debt is forecasted to drop back down to its historical level of 1%. Under the current net 50 policy, 85% of customers pay by Day 50, and the remainder pays 10 days later. With the delays in collections from customers, the Samuelsons had to use the company’s line of credit to pay its expenses. Both short-term and long-term debt interest rates for the company are set by its bank, United Bank of Canada, at 15%.

At this point in time, taking into consideration the company’s lowered net profit, Camilla and Phillip are finally ready to take a deeper look at their credit policy, and if necessary, change it. They asked their second daughter, Diana (who has an MBA degree), to take a look at their books. Diana, after completing her analysis, gave them two possible alternatives for their credit policy:

Alternative #1:

2/20 net 30

• Lose 5% sales

• 50% of customers will pay at Day 20

• 40% of customers will pay at Day 30

• Rest of customers will pay at Day 60

• Cash, inventory, fixed assets, accounts payable, long-term debt, and equity will remain unchanged

Alternative #2:

2/25 net 45

• No lost sales

• 60% of customers will pay at Day 25

• 35% of customers will pay at Day 45

• Rest of customers will pay at Day 60

• Cash, inventory, fixed assets, accounts payable, long-term debt, and equity will remain unchanged

Industry average:

2/20 net 30

Average Collection Period = 28 days

Net profit margin = 5%

Return on Assets = 5.2%

Return on Equity = 13%

The company’s most recent income statement and balance sheet are presented in the appendix.

The Samuelsons will have to make a decision on the company’s credit policy based on the available information.

Questions:

1. What are the three components of a credit policy? Does the company’s current credit policy satisfy these three components?

2. What are the effective annual costs for the two proposed credit policy alternatives? If the average borrowing rate for the company’s customers is 15%, will these credit policies be attractive to these customers?

3. Construct aging schedules for the current credit policy and the two proposed new credit policies.

4. Construct the Pro-forma Income Statement and Balance Sheet based on the current credit policy and the two proposed credit policies.

5. Calculate the average collection period, net profit margin, return on assets, and return on equity for both the current and the proposed policies.

6. How does the company compare with the industry average in terms of its Average Collection Period, profitability, and returns on assets and equity under the current and proposed policies?

7. Which credit policy should the Samuelsons choose? Provide your reasons for your recommendation.

Appendix: